Are our jobs safe?
CONCERN AS TOWN STORE AMONG 30 ON REDUNDANCY LIST DRAWN UP BY HIGH ST CHAIN,
WILKO shop workers are angry at plans to axe jobs after learning managers had been paid “significant” bonuses, a union official has said.
National GMB Union officer Roger Jenkins also said members would be balloted on strike action after it emerged management would be immune from plans to cut sick pay. He told the Burton Mail there were plans for redundancies at 30 stores, with Burton’s branch among those impacted.
Wilko says it is consulting with workers in some stores “about different ways of working” and all staff – not just management – had been given “thank you” payments for the 2020/21 financial year.
The household goods and homeware retailer said it could not confirm how many jobs were affected, but there would be no changes at the Coalville or Uttoxeter branches.
Regional GMB reps will meet on Monday to thrash out details of the ballot. It will run for 10 to 14 days and include members at all distribution centres and stores, including those in Burton Place Shopping Centre and Uttoxeter High Street.
Mr Jenkins said: “What’s come to light in the last couple of days is all management grades are excluded from the drop in sick pay and, on top of that, we have a redundancies situation at 30 stores and Wilko has just given a bonus to all levels of management.
“The lowest levels will get £250 and that goes up through the grades. We don’t have exact figures, but we’re talking about a significant amount of money for the highest level of management, who have all been working from home during the Covid crisis while the hourly paid workers are out putting themselves at risk.”
Currently, Wilko workers are entitled to be off sick on company sick pay on three occasions a year before reverting to statutory sick pay of £95.85. But it wants to reduce that to just one occasion from February 1.
A Wilko spokesman said: “We’ve proudly stayed open throughout the pandemic to make sure families have access to the essentials they need, despite the difficult circumstances. We hugely appreciate the hard work and loyalty of all our team members. That’s why we’ve paid a ‘thank you’ bonus at all levels for the financial year 20/21.
“For the majority of our team members in stores and logistics, the ‘thank you’ payment was paid back in August. This was paid in addition to other benefits, including generous staff discount days and events, and full company sick pay for team members who are vulnerable or on coronavirus quarantine.
“For the management team, the ‘thank you’ payment was contingent on meeting specified targets at a company and individual level and was paid in January to all those who met the targets. We support team members who are vulnerable or on coronavirus quarantine; or have serious medical challenges.
“On top of that, we pay full pay for a period of sickness absence for any team member in any year.
“Having unsuccessfully worked with our union to try to reduce absence, we’re now changing our policy to reduce abuse of it by some team members.
“Going forwards second sickness absences in a year will be covered by statutory sick pay. This is over and above what’s provided by the majority of other retailers.”
Addressing the claim redundancies were being made, the spokesman said: “In a constantly changing retailing market, we’re continually making changes across our business to make shopping with Wilko even better. As part of this, we’ve started talking to team members in some of our stores about different ways of working.
“This includes making sure we’ve the right team members in the right places at the right times, serving customers when and where they want to shop with us.
“Not all our stores are in need of a proposed change to the way they operate. The Burton store is affected. For Uttoxeter and Coalville it’s business as usual. We’re currently in consultation with those team members affected.”